[1] Listen, you Israelites, to this message that the LORD is proclaiming against you! This message is for the entire clan I brought up from the land of Egypt: [2] "I have chosen you alone from all the clans of the earth. Therefore I will punish you for all your sins." [3] Do two walk together without having met? [4] Does a lion roar in the woods if he has not cornered his prey? Does a young lion bellow from his den if he has not caught something? [5] Does a bird swoop down into a trap on the ground if there is no bait? Does a trap spring up from the ground unless it has surely caught something? [6] If an alarm sounds in a city, do people not fear? If disaster overtakes a city, is the LORD not responsible? [7] Certainly the Sovereign LORD does nothing without first revealing his plan to his servants the prophets. [8] A lion has roared! Who is not afraid? The Sovereign LORD has spoken. Who can refuse to prophesy? [9] Make this announcement in the fortresses of Ashdod and in the fortresses in the land of Egypt. Say this: "Gather on the hills around Samaria! Observe the many acts of violence taking place within the city, the oppressive deeds occurring in it." [10] "They do not know how to do what is right," the LORD says. "They store up the spoils of destructive violence in their fortresses. [11] Therefore," says the Sovereign LORD, "an enemy will encircle the land. He will take away your power; your fortresses will be looted." [12] This is what the LORD says: "Just as a shepherd salvages from the lion's mouth a couple of leg bones or a piece of an ear, so the Israelites who live in Samaria will be salvaged. They will be left with just a corner of a bed, and a part of a couch. [13] Listen and warn the family of Jacob!" The Sovereign LORD, the God who commands armies, is speaking! [14] "Certainly when I punish Israel for their covenant transgressions, I will destroy Bethel's altars. The horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground. [15] I will destroy both the winter and summer houses. The houses filled with ivory will be ruined, the great houses will be swept away." The LORD is speaking!
